RSVP

Répondez s'il vous plaît.

Sounds simple enough, right? This is one of my pet peeves and I know I'm not alone in this regard. There's a reason an RSVP is requested when planning an event. Even if I can't make it to an event, I'll at least let the host know, so they can plan accordingly. 

The last thing I want, if I'm hosting, is to run out of food/supplies. By RSVP-ing, I have a guide. But here's the flip side. If you've RSVP'd "yes" but can make it, common sense would tell me that I need to let the host know. Sometimes I don't think people actually put two and two together. 

So, that's my rant for the day, find your manners and stop being selfish.

Another year, another ID4

Forget hot dogs, BBQ and fireworks. My July 4th tradition has included the movie "Independence Day" or ID4 as I like to call it, for as long as I can remember.

Well, maybe not that long, since the movie only came out in 1996. But I feel lost if I don't catch at least part of it on the holiday. I do the same thing on Christmas. It's Die Hard all the way and something felt "off" when I didn't watch it last year.

That being said, Will Smith is about to get some green s*** shot at his jet.

Happy 4th, y'all!!

I'll see you in the Rockies!

After what seems like a zillion years, I'm less than a month away from seeing another childhood friend and finally seeing the Rocky Mountains, up close and personal.

I've known my buddy Matt since I first moved to Nashville. We were in the same 3rd grade class and went to the same schools till he and his family moved to Colorado our junior year of high school.

Not only will we be hitting the Kenny Chesney show at Sports Authority Field, we'll also be celebrating his engagement and his recent acceptance into the New York City Marathon!

Bring it, Denver!

Service with a smile...

Last night a friend and I wanted to see World War Z out at Turkey Creek. We had planned on hitting the 7:40 PM show, but apparently, the rest of Knoxville & Farragut beat us to the punch.

We looked up at the big board and saw an 8:15 showing for The Purge. Much to our dismay, the ticket dudes told us that one wasn't available too. I couldn't believe that 2 shows were sold out, but I was kind of wrong. There was an 8:15 listing for The Purge, but for some reason that option wasn't available on the computer. So, we settled on The Internship.

I noticed the ticket dude gave me back by credit card and Regal card without swiping it. I looked down at my ticket and noticed the cost as $0.00.

I asked Brad if his ticket was free too and he thought it was because of his Crown Club Card. Wrong, we guessed it was just good customer service.

The Internship was 1000x funnier than The Hangover 3. I laughed till I cried in that thing. There were so many little digs and remarks that could have been related to my own life. There was a full on Quidditch scene that was initially described in non-Muggle terms. I found it hilarious because I knew Brad was thinking the same thing as Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson's characters, "what is this?". Thankfully the other characters explained the game in plain English.

Moral of this story, thanks to The Pinnacle's gift of a free movie ticket when our original movie was sold out, I'm more willing to go out of my way to see more movies there and I might even pick up more concessions along the way.

What I love, about the South...

For some reason, the summer, always seems to remind me of one of  my favorite Kenny Chesney quotes:

"Southern girls are God's gift to the entire male population. There is absolutely no woman finer than one raised below the Mason-Dixon Line. And once you go Southern, may the Lord help you, you never go back."

Love my Volunteer Traditions hat

The Power of Social Media

Last night I randomly logged on to my Fly Delta app to verify my AMEX points had properly transferred to my Sky Miles account. The points are fine, but I noticed my itinerary for a November trip and been thrown out of whack.

When I initially booked the trip, I was suppose to fly from Knoxville to Memphis, then on the Vegas. Well, it would appear the TYS to MEM flights have been cut. My new itinerary had me going from Knoxville to Atlanta to Memphis, then on to Vegas.

Aside from it looking completely stupid on paper, the updated flights would have caused me to miss my Vegas connection in Memphis. Since Delta took it upon themselves to re-book my fight, why didn't they just have me fly to ATL then on to LAS?

By the time I found this issue, it was after 11PM and I was not about to call the 800 # at that hour. I was not able to change my flights online, which annoyed me even more. So, I did the next best thing. I vented my frustrations on Twitter. What happened next shocked me.

Not long after my tweet to Delta, I got a response from their @DeltaAssist account. All I had to do was direct message them my confirmation # and they would look into the problem and see if they could find a solution. 

My issue was fixed in less than 10 minutes and they re-routed me on my first choice out of Atlanta. All of this was corrected without additional charges and without me having to sit on hold for 45+ minutes.

I've had my issues with Delta in the past, but lately, my flights have been taking off on schedule and arriving a little ahead of schedule. Hope this continues.

Several companies could learn a thing or two from this experience. I do not advocate taking to social media to bash companies, but if I see areas they can improve their service, I will continue to speak my mind.

Bravo Delta, I look forward to gaining more Sky Miles to use toward future adventures!!

Better late than never...

I've known my buddy Joel ever since I moved to Nashville in 1987. Yes, that means we've been friends for over 26 years. He kept saying he felt "old", but I like to think of our friendship like a fine wine...it gets better with age.

One of the many reasons I love Joel is, he's one of the most caring people you'll ever meet. I forgot to remind him of this story, but in the summer of 1993, the summer before our freshmen year of high school, we had a house fire. We lost almost all of our material possessions, but no one was hurt. I was in Hawaii at the time and my mom, step-dad and BoJangles were at a conference in Gatlinburg. 

I remember calling Joel because we talked multiple times a day and when you're that age, material things mean a lot more. He called my parents when they got back home and offered his house, if we needed a place to stay. Mom flew to Hawaii to bring me home later in the summer and Joel came with my step-dad to the airport to pick us up. To this day, I don't think he realized how much that little gesture meant to me.

My time with him in Chicago was short, but we had a blast. It's like no time had passed since graduation day. Here's to another 26+ years of a fantastic friendship.

                                     

Blake, Joel (in the glasses) and I

Gradation Day from Father Ryan High School -- May 1997

Afternoon wine break

I was told all the tourist take this shot at the Bean, can you see us?

I gave the deep dish a whirl

I also wanted a cheeseburger and a Coke

Holy cow, we found the Goose Island Wrigleyville Pub

Flight of beers

Words can not describe how good this was

Take me out to the ballgame...

Even the Derby hat couldn't help the Cubbies on this day